Q: THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE THAN THIS, THAT ONE WOULD LAY DOWN HIS "LIFE" FOR OTHERS. JUST STOP AND TELL HIM "THANK YOU" FOR LAYING DOWN HIS "LIFE"; SO THAT WE MY HAVE LIFE.
A: The most important point in my growth as a Christian came when I realized one thing about the death of Jesus Christ. That point is that the death of Jesus Christ didn't save me. I had been taught for so long that the Gospel was Jesus died for my sins. While His death is an important part of the Gospel, by itself the Gospel is incomplete. The Apostle Paul wrote, "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins (1 Cor 15:7)." Why would we still be in our sins if Christ had not been raised? It is because salvation is the restoration of the life of God, made available through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, offered as a free gift to all who place faith in Jesus Christ. Man's problem with God is not that he is a sinner in need of forgiveness. His problem is that He is dead to God and in need of His life.
When God created Adam He breathed into Him His very life and Adam became a living being (Gen 2:7). God then warned Adam that if he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he would die (Gen 2:17). We now know that Adam ate from that tree and died. However, he did not die physically. Adam died spiritually. Therefore, all mankind is not born in the image of God, we are born in the image of Adam (Gen 5:3). We are alive to the world, but dead to God in our sins. However, God in His love for mankind wanted to restore Himself to us. But, before He could He had to deal with the sin that caused His life to be removed from Adam. Therefore, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, is the only man born with a life to give that would satisfy God as payment for our sins. His death on the cross took away the sins of the world from the eyes of God for all eternity (Heb 9:12). Now, when we accept Christ by faith, the life of God is restored to us can never leave again because there is now no sin that can cause that life to leave. Thus, what we have is an eternal life. A life that will carry you through this life and on into eternity even after you physically die. This is the Gospel; sin, death, forgiveness, life!
"For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life (Rom 5:10)!"
HAPPY EASTER!!!!
Q: The bible says he who has "found" his life will "lose" it but he who "lost" his life for My sake will "save" it..What does that mean?
A: One place this is found is Matthew 10:39. "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." It is said in the context of the things that we may lose for accepting Christ as our Savior. What are the fleshly things, the physical things, of this life that we hold dear to, put stock in, sacrifice for and get our meaning and purpose to life? They are the things Jesus mentions leading up to this verse. They are our fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, our in-laws and the members of our own household. That is why Jesus said, "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword (Mat 10:34)." When the change of heart and the change of life that comes from accepting Jesus Christ starts to effect those around you that is when you will "lose" your life. When Jesus comes before family, friends, career, etc, you will see the peace you once enjoyed start to vanish from your life. As some have mentioned, it is the cross that you bear for Christ.
There is another aspect of losing your life that must be addressed as well. Besides the members of our own household that turn against us for our faith in Christ, our love of the world and the things it offers will, and should, dissipate. The same principle Jesus mentioned in Matthew 10:39, is uttered in other passages like the parable of the Rich Young (Mat 19:16-22) and story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). The rich men in both these cases were unwilling to let go of their wealth in order to be a disciple. In the case of one his love of the world led him to eternal separation from God. Many Christians will talk about the cost of being a disciple then turn around and say that if we are obedient to God he will "throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it (Mal 3:10)." This type of teaching that God promises prosperous living is teaching the love of the world, storing up treasure on earth and can lead to enmity with God. In other words, you won't be "losing" your life and "finding" it for the Lord's sake. You can't when you love the things of this world, whether they are members of your own household or acquiring the abundance the world offers, more than you love the Lord. Be blessed.
Q: The bible says we have the "keys" to the kingdom of God. What does that mean?
A: The use of the word "keys" is to illustrate the "access" to Heaven or salvation that Jesus was giving to His disciples to preach. Just after Peter's confession that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus said He would be the rock of His church. Then He said, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Mat 16:19)." This is a salvation passage. Jesus was confirming that He was the prophesied Messiah and the only means by which mankind could reach Heaven. When He was talking about binding and loosing He was meaning that whomever believed in Peter's confession, that Jesus was the Christ, will be loosed, given salvation, and whoever rejects Jesus as the Messiah will be bound, forbidden salvation. Remember, a key unlocks and locks a door and it was Jesus who said, " I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture (John 10:9)."
What we must avoid doing is believing that Jesus was granting the Christians the ability to "bind" the devil and his demons. Or that He was granting the power to "bind" sickness and "loose" wealth. While the Apostles were given the power to "exorcise" demons, it was not something that all Christians have at their disposal. If one wants to strengthen themselves against things like poverty and sickness there are more practical ways to accomplish this. Once can simply pray and meditate on the Word. The book of Proverbs, for example, has some practical scriptures that could assist one in healthy living and material success. But, we nowhere are Christians given the authority to bind and loose demons or are we given the power to control our health and wealth by confession. As it has been said, although we can greatly affect our physical and material well being through things like prudence, planning, and proper stewardship, ultimately we are dependent in every aspect of our lives on the sovereignty of God. Be blessed.
Q: Is there such a thing of God giving you your "soulmate"?
A: No, there is no such thing as a soul mate mentioned within the pages of scripture. This implies that there is only one person for each of us out there that we will meet through some combination of random chance and faith. God told Adam and Eve they could eat from any tree in the Garden except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But, as we know, they could also eat from that tree with severe consequences. Unfortunately, they did. Similarly, God tells Christians, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common (2 Cor. 6"14)." This makes sense given the fact that a husband and wife would stand a better chance of a marriage working if their foundational beliefs are the same. Yet, a Christian, like Adam and Eve eating from the wrong tree, are free to marry unbelievers should they choose. And they will deal with the consequences, good or bad, but not from God.
With all that said, a spouse may call their mate a soul mate if the marriage is going smoothly. However, if it is not going according to plan, and they believe in the idea of a soul mate, the conclusions that could be made border on dangerous and not biblical. The divorce rate within the body of Christ is similar to that from the secular world. If you happen to be one of the unfortunate Christian couples suffering through a divorce you could make yourself vulnerable to all kinds of false conclusions. You could see yourself as "outside" God's will. You could think that you married the "wrong" person and have somehow missed out on your "soul mate" and so on. The simple fact is that the marriage didn't work out and to leave it at that. Scripture says that ""Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial (1 Cor 6:12)." In other words, you are free to select your mate from whomever you choose, but to be aware that if you marry an unbeliever the outcome may not be what you desire. But, even marrying a Christian doesn't guarantee harmony and a lasting marriage. Just be prayerful, trust God and be honest with those you date and interact with. It is not a guarantee, but is a good way to approach things. Be blessed.
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